I Know Nothing Nothing

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PUTTING THE CLUBS AWAY: Tiger Woods issued a statement on his Web site Friday evening saying he was “taking an indefinite break from professional golf.” In the announcement Woods admitted to his “infidelity,” the first time he has used that word since his ongoing saga began two weeks ago.

Everybody seems to know what’s best for Tiger. You can’t flip a channel, click on a Web site or read a magazine without some genius giving his/her opinion on what Tiger needs to do. What Tiger needed to do was figure out what meant most to him – his family, his career, his image, his legacy – and then focus on that. It appears that he made his decision.

HEAR NO EVIL, SEE NO EVIL: Woods’ longtime caddie Steve Williams told a New Zealand newspaper this past weekend that he was unaware of his bosses “indiscretions.” Williams vehemently protested a column written by Rick Reilly, who said Woods should fire Williams because he was “an enabler.”

Reilly is one of the many aforementioned who has a moral compass to point Woods in the right direction moving forward. As for Williams, he might not have known to what degree Woods was being unfaithful, but he had to know something. “I just work for Tiger Woods” doesn’t wash when you’ve teamed for 10 years and been close enough to where he was the best man at your wedding. If people well removed from Woods had heard rumors of infidelities over the years, it’s hard to believe someone so close to him didn’t know some of the facts.

SPONSORS SHAVE TIGER?: On the sponsorship front, Accenture ended its relationship with Woods, saying he is 'no longer the right representative' for the company. Gillette announced that they will be limiting Woods’ role in their upcoming marketing campaign. And, Gatorade announced that they were discontinuing their line of “Gatorade Tiger Focus,” but said it had nothing to do with the recent events surrounding Woods.

The snowball got rolling once Gillette became the first of Woods' sponsors to publicly distance itself from the embattled superstar. Or maybe that was when the first domino fell. Not sure which metaphor works better here. Either way, thank goodness we may never again have to see a shaving commercial with Woods, Roger Federer and Thierry Henry.

MAJORS IN THE AIR?: Players from across the world of golf spent this past weekend reacting to the news of Woods’ indefinite leave of absence. Most wished him well and hoped for a speedy return to the PGA Tour; though, not everyone is anxiously awaiting his comeback.

Colin Montgomerie quipped that with Woods out of action, it opened the door for others to win tournaments. Not everyone will admit to this, but most have to be thinking it – especially regarding the majors. The 2010 major venues are Augusta National, Pebble Beach, St. Andrews and Whistling Straits. You could have penned Woods in for at least two wins, with a possible chance at a seasonal Grand Slam. Now the doors could be wide open to all four. Not for Monty, but for many others.

WHO SAID WHAT TO WHOM?:“Life & Style” magazine quoted PGA Tour players Ben Crane and Charles Warren as making some very harsh comments towards Woods. Crane and Warren both denied making any statements at all to the magazine.

The magazine won’t reveal the author of the article, which is bunk. Just as people in the spotlight need to be held accountable for their actions, so, too, do the people who shine that spotlight. We need a name, we need tar and we need feathers.

SICK TO HER STOMACH:Elin Woods’ mother, Barbro Holmberg, was taken to an Orlando-area hospital early Tuesday morning after someone in the Woods home called 911 saying Holmberg was experiencing stomach pains. She was later released and reportedly doing fine.

That was Tuesday? Of this past week? So much has happened so fast it’s hard to connect the Whats to the Whens. This didn’t appear to have anything to do with the scandal, perhaps a possible case of food poisoning. It was just a chance to ask, ‘What next?’ And hope you didn’t get an answer.

THE GETAWAY: Elin Woods bought a six-bedroom house on a small island near Stockholm, Sweden that is reachable only by boat. A Swedish official said the negotiations to buy the property likely happened well before Tiger’s crash.

The Woods’ could buy a house on the moon and TMZ would still manage to get satellite footage – with an US Weekly reporter hiding in a crater.

IN CASE YOU MISSED IT: In non-Tiger news, Jerry Kelly and Steve Stricker won the Shark Shootout. … In Kyung Kim captured the Dubai Ladies Masters. … Robert Allenby won his fourth Australian PGA. … Pablo Martin was victorious at the Alfred Dunhill Championship.

All of this really happened. It really did.

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Baggs is managing editor for GolfChannel.com and has been with Golf Channel since 1996.